Epidemiological Study of Trauma in a Tertiary Care Centre in Northwest India

Abstract

Objective: Traumatic injuries are a matter of concern worldwide. However, the rapidly changing socio economical dynamics in a developing country like India deeply influence the epidemiology behind trauma. The aim of this study was to document and analyze the epidemiological parameters and characteristics behind trauma victims admitted to our tertiary care centre. Methods: The observational study was carried out over a period of one year (January 2019 to December 2019) enrolling a total of 300 trauma patients. The age, sex, locality, delay in hospitalization, mechanism of injury, sites of injury and outcomes were documented. Results: Injuries occurred predominantly in the 20-40 age group with males being the chief victims. There was a considerable amount of delay in hospitalization ranging from one hour to more than 24 hours while only 7 patients arrived to the emergency within one hour of trauma. Vehicular trauma (54%) was the most common mechanism of injury. Injuries to the extremities (38.6%) and head (28.6%) were the most common sites. A considerable number of patients (45.3%) required care in the intensive care unit. A total of 172 patients required surgical interventions of various kinds and there was a total mortality rate of 6%. Amongst the polytrauma cases, 54 patients (81.8%) required ICU admission, 42 patients (63.6%) required surgical intervention and 6 patients (9.1%) died after admission. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight some of the problems with our existing infrastructure bringing to light the need for stricter enforcement of traffic safety laws and improvement of infrastructure particularly the roadways in rural areas as well as the referral systems. Vehicular trauma should be seen as a public health problem and appropriate interventions should be implemented. Keywords: Trauma, Road Traffic Accidents, Epidemiology, Head injuries